permaculture

[Patrick McKown <identi1956@yahoo.com>]

Lawrence,

You need to take a closer look at your water with some answers to the 
qualities. If you have duck
weed on the surface and cats that means you have excessive Nitrogen in your 
water. Your not tying
up your nutrient flow. The plants are just responding.

Clay is good. Especially for fry. Because your a market gardener does not 
mean you have to sell
everything to eat. Some items can be ornamental. Cut flowers for example. Cut 
flower wholesalers
will pick up. The fish don't have to go in the the pan either. Raise Gambusia 
affinis affinis for
mosquito control. They work great and they can take your slight bit of icing 
too. There is some
misinformation on Gambusia on the net. It is written and parroted by people 
who don't know
different or have an agenda that benefits from the misinformation. Gambusia 
are a top minnow but
they are at the bottom of the food chain. There are a number of native 
species of Gambusia to
choose from.

Contact a gold fish farm and by a few boxes of gold fish. Do this if they are 
especially spring
feed. Gets some fancy ones. Don't bother with comets. Throw them into your 
ponds. Throw in some
Gambusia. Your done. The gold fish will size up on your duck weed and you 
have the top minnows for
mosquito control too, both can be used also for ornamental ponds. Gambusia 
will take out the
dragon fly larvae when they first hatch. This will reduce your losses on gold 
fish when they start
spawning in the pond which should be within a few months after you put them 
in. Water gardening is
big now, check around for water garden outfits and offer them your specialty 
raised cherry picked
pond goldfish. Your ponds have enough nitrogen going into them that you can 
take up some of the
slack with these fish too. It won't take long. This time next year you will 
be amazed at how much
they have grown. Big gold fish don't ship well too and cost an arm and a leg. 
Use this market
niche to get a customer base and some good prices for local sales.

Pat



 
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